Until Next Time
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Sirius visits James' grave. The two brothers couldn't be parted forever, after all. One-shot. A bit sad, maybe, but hopeful.


**A/N: Hey, y'all. How've you been? Anyway, this is dedicated to thelittlepurplepuffball, whose reviews made me smile. :)**

 **This is a one-shot. Please tell me what you think, and keep in mind that honesty is the best policy! ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to J. K. Rowling.**

James was lounging on his grave. It was easier to lounge as a ghost. He was staring at the sky, watching a Muggle airplane pass overhead. It was a beautiful night. The stars were out, the crickets were chirping- and James was completely miserable.

Sometimes that happened. James wished he could continue living- while the afterlife was peaceful and fun, sometimes it felt too easy. Everything he wanted came to him with a single thought. He could still prank the dead, of course, but one-man pranks were just not as fun as pranking with Sirius or Remus. And Lily kept insisting that he was too old for those sorts of stunts. But hey, he would forever be twenty-one. Couldn't he act like it?

Really, what was bothering James was that while Sirius and Remus continued the journey and adventure that was living- even if they had both hit rough spots at the time being- he was stuck in paradise.

And it was _boring_.

Alright, so maybe the real reason was because he'd always feel twenty-one, but when Sirius and Remus joined him, they'd be fifty. Or eighty. Or ninety-nine. Too old to play pranks on Merlin. Too old to laugh about the state of Snape's hair, even though they were adults. That maybe, when they died, he wouldn't recognize them anymore. He couldn't picture a Sirius without laughter in his eyes, or without his leather jacket. Nor could he visualize a Remus with a cold stare, or one that jumped at his own shadow. Remus had already changed so much- much of the light had gone from his eyes, and James couldn't remember the last time he had thrown his head back and _laughed_. Who knew how unrecognizable he'd be when he entered the afterlife? And Sirius had been sent to Azkaban- James wasn't a fool, he knew Sirius would not be the same carefree teenager he used to be. But he also knew that Sirius had done the impossible and escaped... maybe he had done the impossible again, and had retained some of his childish recklessness and endless mirth.

James could only hope.

"Prongs. It's been too long."

James turned his head, searching for the owner of the whispered words. His heart stopped when he found them.

The man before him was too thin, had dark shadows under his eyes, and had unkempt black hair that fell to his shoulders. The man's eyes looked slightly haunted.

But James Potter _knew_ he was Sirius Black.

He'd know his brother anywhere.

"Padfoot," he breathed. "It's _you_."

Sirius smiled, and James knew then that Sirius had once again done the impossible- kept his basic identity throughout his time in Azkaban. James wanted to cry in relief.

"Prongs, listen, I can't stay long, but I just _had_ to see you. Nice memorial they made of you, by the way. Simply lovely. I- I had forgotten just how beautiful Lily was. And how dorky you looked in those glasses." Sirius' eyes were filling with tears. "Prongs, I got Remus to tell me where your grave was. Oh, maybe you didn't know- we're good now. I'm in hiding- at my parents' place, can you believe my luck? I let Dumbledore use it as headquarters for the Order- we've revived it. Moony joined too. I can't leave the house until my name is cleared- the rat got away, you see. So I'm stuck in that house I hate, alone again. _Again_. Moony stops by whenever he can, but he has to try and find a job, he has to take care of himself, and he's too prideful to let me help. I'm stuck there, with all my memories of that _awful_ place, and- and I think I'm losing my mind, Prongs. I'm talking to you, after all. A spirit who can't talk back."

James was horrified. "Padfoot- Padfoot, break the laws of the universe and listen to me! You're not alone. I'm here, Lily's here- _Moony's there_. Moony can help you. You can help Moony. You need each other, and you just concentrate on helping the Order, and _remember_ all the times we levitated Snape, when we turned Gilderoy Lockhart's hair pink, all the times I failed miserably at getting Lily to go out with me- most of which had admittedly humorous results! Enjoy your time down there, because it doesn't last forever. Laugh as much as you can, take risks, but not life threatening ones. Don't give up, because if you give up while you're alive- what do you have left to die for? Nothing. Absolutely nothing." James took a deep breath. "I need _you_. Not an empty shell of a man. I need my brother- they guy who laughed at everything, and didn't care what people thought of him. The guy who was the epitome of liveliness. I need him. Don't lose him. I'm a selfish man, Padfoot, and I... I can't lose you."

Sirius looked haunted. "I feel like I heard you Prongs, but I'm going to ignore that sign of insanity. Instead I'm going to say what I came here to say." Sirius closed his eyes. "I know I'm probably much too late to try and apologize for my mistake- telling you to switch Secret-Keepers. But- just know that if I could go back, I'd trust Moony. I'd be Secret-Keeper. _I'd do whatever it took to keep you both alive_. I'm sorry!" Sirius began to weep. James was crying, too.

"Padfoot, I don't blame you. Neither of us do. No one knew. _No one could have known_. Peter lied, and betrayed us, and attempted to kill my son. There's no forgiveness for that. But if you think it's your fault for suggesting Peter as Secret-Keeper, then it's just as much mine for ever trusting the rat to begin with. I _love_ you, Padfoot. Nothing can change that. Nothing."

Sirius traced James' name on his headstone. "I'll be there with you soon. I can tell. Harry's fifteen. I'm loathe to leave him, but... Padfoot could never truly live without Prongs. I think my time will come soon, now that I've exposed Peter. I've served my purpose. I love Harry. But I love you and Lily. I'll hold on for as long as I can- but I know I'll see you soon. What do you say about that?"

James swallowed the lump in his throat and answered in a hoarse voice. "I think you've gone soft and corny in your old age."

A grin spread across Sirius' face. "You just cracked a joke, didn't you? Oh, I can't wait until I can joke back."

An identical grin spread across James' features. "I'll be waiting."

Sirius looked over his shoulder. "I've got to go. Goodbye, Prongs. Until next time."

Sirius transformed into Padfoot and ran off into the night.

"Until next time." James whispered.


End file.
